This application is based on and claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. 198 34 321.3 filed Jul. 30, 1998, which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention concerns a method for determining features required for a communication relation, as well as a terminal device, a node, a program module and a user interface for this purpose.
If a communication relation with a communications partner is to be established, a suitable terminal must be selected for the desired communication relation and then the parameters necessary for the development of the communication relation must be inputted on the terminal. If, for example, a voice connection with a communications partner is desired, one will take a telephone and enter the telephone number of a telephone connection of the desired communications partner so that a connection can be created to the subscriber line over a telecommunications network.
The type of connection, namely a connection-oriented connection is already specified by the subscriber through the choice of a telephone as terminal device. The quality of the connection or the fees incurred for the connection are in any case predetermined through the selection of a certain type of telephone as source or also as destination of the connection, for example, through the selection of a telephone for a wire-bound telecommunications network or of a telephone for a mobile telecommunications network. If fax messages are to be sent on the voice connection instead of speech, a fax machine or a personal computer suitable for the sending and receiving of faxes will be used instead of a telephone as source and destination of the connection. Also in this case, a connection-oriented connection can be developed through the selection of a fax machine as terminal without consideration of the fact that the data to be transmitted possibly could also be sent with a desired or incidental time delay on a packet-oriented connection. An accidental time delay could be accepted, for example, if the transmission of faxes would then take place at lower fees or a time delay could even be desired because the destination of the connection could be prepared for reception of a fax only after such a delay.
Through the integration of different communication options into a single telecommunications facility, various telecommunication relations can be established from one such telecommunications facility. Thus, for example, through suitable interface systems and program modules, a personal computer can be expanded into such a telecommunications facility from which faxes, e-mails, internet communication, and even telephone conversations are possible. But even in the case of such a personal computer, for developing a communication relation, a user must first select a program module suitable for one of the aforementioned various communication relations and there must specify an address of a desired communications partner, for example a subscriber number or an e-mail address. Through the selection of a program module, it is established in such a case, for example, that a fax will be sent to the desired communications partner. In addition, however, it must be known to the user of the personal computer that the fax machine of the communication partner is ready to receive. Instead of sending a fax message, however, it could make more sense to send an e-mail to the communications partner, for example because it is possible at a more favorable cost or because the communications partner can receive only e-mails with the communication means which are available at the moment. In addition, the address at which the desired communications partner can be reached must be known. If such an address changes frequently, however, such as depending on the time of day, because the communications partner is at different places at different times, it is often impossible to have at hand the relevant address at a given time for establishing a communication relation.
The object of the invention is to determine in a simple, convenient manner features of a communication relation which meet the desired requirements at a given time so that the communication relation can be established based on these features or, in the event a communication relation already exists, to modify the communication relation in accordance with the desired requirements.
This object is achieved according to the present invention by a process wherein an input device (IN) determines initial features as input variables (INPUT) which are necessary for classification of the communication-relation, the input device transmits the initial features to a sort device (SORT), the sort device sorts the initial features into feature groups, whereby the sort device sorts into a first feature group (INKP) those features of the initial features which concern at least two communications partners to participate in the communication relation; whereby the sort device sorts into a second feature group (INDT) those features of the initial features which concern at least one data type to be transmitted in the framework of the communication relation; and whereby the sort device sorts into a third feature group (INCT) those features of the initial features which concern one possible connection type for the communication relation, the sort device transmits the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups to a processing device (MAT), the processing device inputs the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups into a decision matrix, and the processing device determines as output variables (OUTPUT) from this matrix the features required for the communication relation as second features.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a terminal (TER) with which features required for a communication relation can be determined and in which initial features which are required for classification of the communication relation can be inputted on an input device (INTER), characterized in that the terminal has a sort device (CPU, MEM) and a processing device (CPU, MEM) which are constructed and joined together and with the input device in such manner that they interact with each other and with the input device in the following manner: the input device transmits the initial features to the sort device, the sort device sorts the initial features into feature groups whereby the sort device sorts into a first feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least two of the communications partners to be involved in the communication relation, whereby the sort device sorts into a second feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least one data type to be transmitted in the framework of the communication relation, and whereby the sort device sorts into a third feature group the features of the initial features which concern one possible connection type for the communication relation, the sort device transmits the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups to the processing device, the processing device inputs the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups into a decision matrix, and the processing device determines as output variables from this matrix the features required for the communication relation as second features.
The invention further comprises a node (NODE) with which features required for a communication relation can be determined and in which initial values which are required for a classification of the communication relation can be inputted on an input device (INTER) characterized in that the node has a sort device (CPU, MEM) and a processing device (CPU, MEM) which are constructed and joined together and with the input device in such manner that they interact with each other and with the input device in the following manner: the input device transmits the initial features to the sort device, the sort device sorts the initial features into feature groups whereby the sort device sorts into a first feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least two of the communications partners to be involved in the communication relation, whereby the sort device sorts into a second feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least one data type to be transmitted in the framework of the communication relation, and whereby the sort device sorts into a third feature group the features of the initial features which concern one possible connection type for the communication relation, the sort device transmits the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups to the processing device, the processing device inputs the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups into a decision matrix, and the processing device determines as output variables from this matrix the features required for the communication relation as second features.
The invention still further comprises a program module (PRG) with which features required for a communication relation can be determined and in which initial features can be inputted through an input functional unit (ST1) which are necessary for a classification of the communication relation characterized in that the program module has a sort functional unit (ST2) and a processing functional unit (ST4, ST5, ST6) which are constructed and joined together and to the input functional unit in such manner that they interact with each other and with the input functional unit in the following manner: the input functional unit transmits the initial features to the sort functional unit, the sort functional unit sorts the initial features into feature groups whereby the sort functional unit sorts into a first feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least two of the communications partners to be involved in the communication relation, whereby the sort functional unit sorts into a second feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least one data type to be transmitted in the framework of the communication relation, and whereby the sort functional unit sorts into a third feature group the features of the initial features which concern one possible connection type for the communication relation, the sort functional unit transmits the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups to the processing functional unit, the processing functional unit inputs the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups into a decision matrix, and the processing functional unit determines as output variables from this matrix the features required for the communication relation as second features.
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided a user interface (UI) for a telecommunications facility whereby features required for a communication relation can be determined with the user interface and whereby the initial features can be inputted at the user interface to an input device (TAR) as input variables which are required for a classification of the communication relation, characterized in that the user interface has a sort device and a processing device which are constructed and joined together and with the input device in such manner that they interact with each other and with the input device in the following manner: the input device transmits the initial features to the sort device, the sort device sorts the initial features into feature groups whereby the sort device sorts into a first feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least two of the communications partners to be involved in the communication relation, whereby the sort device sorts into a second feature group the features of the initial features which concern at least one data type to be transmitted in the framework of the communication relation, and whereby the sort device sorts into a third feature group the features of the initial features which concern one possible connection type for the communication relation, the sort device transmits the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups to the processing device, the processing device inputs the initial features in the form of the first, second, and third feature groups into a decision matrix, and the processing device determines as output variables from this matrix the features required for the communication relation as second features.
Additional advantageous configurations of the invention will be apparent from the description below and the appended claims.